Memorial Day in the USA

By: Ohm Shah, interviews Daniel, pictures from flickr.com

Origin

The origin (starting point) of the NATIONAL Memorial Day is thought to have originated from the ending of the Civil War around Waterloo, New York and Petersburg, Virginia. Various communities around there started having memorial services for the war dead. (Waterloo New, York had the first official honoring of the dead).

History

The history of Memorial Day was started when it proclaimed on 5 May, 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Memorial Day was first observed on 30 May 1868, when civilians honored the dead by walking through the cemetery and putting flowers on graves. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873.Nearly two decades have passed and now it is being observed by all the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the holiday, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost everywhere on the last Monday in May. Though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Interviews

Dad: Memorial Day traditionally marks the beginning of the summer vacation. He remembers putting American flags on veteran's graves, and remembers seeing parades on Memorial Day. He says it is always the last Monday in May, and started as a remembrance from the American Civil War for both sides, North and South.

Mom: She takes time to remember relatives who have fought and died in wars including World War Two, World War One and Vietnam , and escpecially thinks of those who died in service to our wonderful country. As the daughter of a military vet and the wife of a military vet she appreciates the sacrifices the veterans and their families give to our great country.

Daniel: We take a day off on Memorial Day. We put out our American flag on Memorial Day. We talk about our relatives that died to serve our country on Memorial Day. On Memorial Day we have a cookout on the grill.